an airway tube with an elliptical inflatable cuff at one end for insertion into the mouth of a patient requiring artificial ventilation. It is designed to fit snugly in the patient’s throat over the top of the laryngeal opening. While it is relatively easy to insert and allows delivery of effective artificial ventilation, it does not provide the absolute protection of the airway from vomitus afforded by an endotracheal tube (see intubation).
A ‘protective’ cough occurring as a result of irritation of the LARYNX – for example, a small particle of food may be accidentally ‘inhaled’ into the larynx, which reacts with an expulsive cough to prevent the food from entering the lungs.... laryngeal reflex
A device that covers the nose and mouth to enable inhalation anaesthetics (see ANAESTHESIA) or other gases such as oxygen to be administered. It is also a covering for the nose and mouth to ensure that antiseptic conditions are maintained during surgery, when dressing a wound or nursing a patient in conditions of isolation. The term is also applied to the expressionless appearance that occurs in certain disorders – for example, in PARKINSONISM.... mask
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